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on MENA - Middle East and North Africa |
| By: | Abdelaziz Khalfaoui (National School of Business and Management – ENCG Settat, Hassan The First University, Settat, Morocco.) |
| Abstract: | The analysis of the evolution of unemployment in Morocco over the last two decades reveals a high rate, with an upward trend in recent years. Reading the contributions of the main economic theories on unemployment and supporting the statistics of the High Commission for Planning, helped us to seek the explanatory factors for the persistence of this scourge in Morocco and to provide possible solutions to remedy it. The low growth recorded by the Moroccan economy during the period 2010-2024, the significant arrival of job seekers on the labor market, due to the young demographic structure of the population, and the rigidity of labor regulations in terms of dismissal procedures and setting minimum wages, constitute the main bottlenecks to the creation of jobs in Morocco. The success of policies to combat unemployment in Morocco depends on their ability to fit into a global framework, which begins with the qualification of human capital, via a generalization of the schooling of the population and by a greater professionalization of school curricula, and which passes through the cleaning up of the business climate to encourage private employment and self-employment, and which ends with the establishment of more flexible work regulations which encourage companies to hire without worrying too much about the future. |
| Abstract: | L'analyse de l'évolution du chômage au Maroc sur les deux dernières décennies, laisse apparaitre un taux élevé, avec une tendance haussière sur les dernières années. La lecture des apports des principales théories économiques en matière de chômage et à l'appui des statistiques du Haut-commissariat au plan, nous ont aidé à comprendre les facteurs explicatifs de la persistance de ce fléau au Maroc, et à apporter des pistes de solutions pout y remédier. La faible croissance enregistrée par l'économie marocaine durant la période 2010-2024, l'arrivée importante des demandeurs d'emploi sur le marché du travail, en raison de la structure démographique jeune de la population, et la rigidité de la réglementation du travail en termes de procédures de licenciement et de fixation de salaires minima, constituent les principaux goulots d'étranglement à la création de postes d'emploi au Maroc. Le succès des politiques de lutte contre le chômage au Maroc, va dépendre de leur capacité à s'inscrire dans cadre global, qui commence par la qualification du capital humain, via une généralisation de la scolarisation de la population et par une plus grande professionnalisation des cursus scolaires et universitaires, et qui passe par l'assainissement du climat d'affaires pour encourager l'emploi privé et l'auto-emploi, et qui finit par l'instauration d'une réglementation de travail plus flexible qui encourage les entreprises à embaucher sans trop se soucier de l'avenir. |
| Keywords: | marché du travail, politique d'emploi, théories du chômage unemployment, Moroccan economy, labor market, employment policy, unemployment theories, économie du Maroc, chômage, chômage économie du Maroc marché du travail politique d'emploi théories du chômage unemployment Moroccan economy labor market employment policy unemployment theories |
| Date: | 2025–04–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05697411 |
| By: | Tanrıverdi Yaşar, Nebahat; Özden, Barış Alp |
| Abstract: | Turkey's defence engagement in Africa is often read through the lens of geopolitics, drone use, and conflict dynamics. Yet the deeper story is industrial and strategic. Africa remains central to Turkey's defence-export strategy because it helps resolve structural pressures within Turkey's defence-industrial ecosystem by sustaining production, easing competitive pressures, and creating external demand for an increasingly export-dependent industry. As Turkish and European companies become more closely connected, these dynamics will increasingly matter for Germany and the European Union (EU) both within Europe's defence-industrial landscape and in third markets beyond its direct reach. |
| Keywords: | geopolitics, Turkey, Africa, defence-export strategy, European Union, defence-industry, Turkish Armed Forces, Turkey's Africa Engagement, supply chains, export governance, dependency, technology, Germany, defence-industrial relations |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swpcom:344115 |
| By: | Bossenbroek, Lisa |
| Abstract: | Gender mainstreaming in the water sector has gained increasing attention in international and national governance frameworks, yet its translation into meaningful change for women and in gender relations more broadly, in a context where both institutional arrangements and accelerating climate change are intensifying challenges around water access, control, use, and governance, remains a persistent challenge. This report examines this gap in the Moroccan context, focusing on two complementary entry points: an overview of gender mainstreaming efforts and institutional advances in the water and irrigation sectors; and the everyday realities of women farmers and cooperative members in the oasis regions of Boudnib and the Drâa Valley. Combining document analysis and institutional interviews with in-depth fieldwork, the study asks whether and how national gender mainstreaming commitments translate into tangible shifts in women's water access, livelihoods, and decision-making power on the ground. The findings point to a more nuanced picture. Morocco has made genuine institutional progress: gender is now formally embedded in constitutional principles, water law, sectoral strategies, and national planning instruments, and donor-financed irrigation projects have demonstrated that integrated gender approaches can yield concrete results. Yet these gains remain fragile, often conditional on external support or on the commitment of individual champions within institutions, a dependence that poses significant risks to their sustainability. Outside donor-supported projects, gender analysis is often absent from programme design, and formal inclusion, such as in land programmes, cooperatives, or training schemes, does not automatically translate into effective control over water, labour, or decisions. Many adaptive initiatives are shaped as much by women's own agency as by the institutional programmes formally available to support them, whose reach remains uneven and frequently contingent on literacy, mobility, and institutional connections. Deeper structural constraints, including historical exclusion from water governance bodies, the growing individualisation of groundwater access, and socio-cultural norms that limit women's recognition as farmers and irrigators, remain insufficiently taken into account by current approaches. The report concludes with five recommendations calling for stronger institutional anchoring, cross-sectoral coordination, reformed empowerment indicators, and a gradual reduction of dependence on donor financing. |
| Keywords: | Water, gender, irrigation, North Africa, Morocco, oases, rural development, women in agriculture, climate change |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:diedps:344085 |
| By: | Aadil Belhaj (CRMEF - Centre Régional des Métiers de l’Education et de la Formation, Ouarzazate, Maroc); Fatima Ezzahra Salamate; Hasna Attar; Jamal Zahi |
| Abstract: | Les organisations ont été impactées d'une manière significative par la pandémie liée au Covid-19, ce qui les a poussées à accélérer leur transformation digitale pour s'adapter aux nouvelles réalités et rester compétitives dans un environnement en constante évolution. Par ailleurs, ces organisations ont intensifié leurs efforts pour adopter des solutions digitales. Cela a pu inclure la mise en œuvre de technologies de travail à distance, l'amélioration des plateformes en ligne pour les ventes et les services, ainsi que l'automatisation des processus internes pour gagner en efficacité. Cet article vise à explorer la dynamique de la transformation digitale au Maroc, en mettant l'accent sur les divers objectifs, défis et obstacles auxquels le pays est confronté dans ce contexte. Nous allons également essayer d'appréhender l'importance et la nécessité de l'adoption d'une transformation digitale pour les organisations publiques marocaines, tout en examinant les stratégies et les initiatives adoptées pour favoriser une transition digitale réussie. Pour ce faire, nous avons réalisé une analyse de la situation du domaine digital au Maroc. L'objectif est d'obtenir une compréhension globale, via une analyse approfondie sur le sujet. Cette analyse a impliqué l'examen attentif d'un ensemble de rapports et d'études qui abordent spécifiquement le sujet de la transformation digitale dans le contexte marocain. En examinant différents rapports et études, nous avons formulé une vision globale de l'état actuel de la transformation digitale au Maroc. L'analyse vise à fournir également des insights et des perceptions utiles pour éclairer la prise de décision et orienter les initiatives futures dans ce domaine. |
| Keywords: | strategies, Moroccan public organisations, Digital, Transformation |
| Date: | 2025–06–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05741555 |
| By: | Abdelaziz Khalfaoui (National School of Business and Management – ENCG Settat, Hassan The First University, Settat, Morocco.) |
| Abstract: | Already in a bad position, given its inability to Moroccan agriculture must strive to face the new challenges caused by the harm of global warming: scarcity of water resources, desertification of soils and rural exodus, to make it capable of ensuring country. These new constraints are added to other structural problems: low factor productivity, insecurity of land ownership and a negative outcome of free trade agreements…This bleak picture of Moroccan agricultur must give rise to real reform, which must tackle these problems, starting with the establishment of a new paradigm which must transform agricultural activity from a subsistence activity to a lucrative activity, structured into companies aimed at maximizing profits and inco for the success of this transition, in the sense that it must put in place the infrastructures making it possible to qualify and encourage the maintenance of the rural population which until now represents a Moroccans. |
| Keywords: | new agricultural model, Moroccan agriculture, agricultural trade balance, agrarian reform, agrarian reform agricultural trade balance Moroccan agriculture new agricultural model |
| Date: | 2024–12–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05697414 |
| By: | Wafae Amrani (FSJES Souissi RABAT - Faculté des Sciences juridiques, économiques et sociales Souissi RABAT); Saad Elouardirhi (FSJES Souissi RABAT - Faculté des Sciences juridiques, économiques et sociales Souissi RABAT) |
| Abstract: | Financial decentralization and its effects on territorial inequalities are a major issue in public economics and territorial development. This study analyzes the effect of financial decentralization on territorial inequalities in Morocco over the period 2014–2022. Territorial inequality is measured by a territorial Gini index, while financial decentralization is apprehended through revenue-side decentralization indices, interpreted as an indicator of local fiscal autonomy, and expenditure-side decentralization, reflecting the share of local budget execution in public spending. The analysis relies on a first-difference model estimated by ordinary least squares, with standard errors corrected using the Newey–West method to account for potential issues of autocorrelation and heteroskedasticity in the errors. The results show that local fiscal autonomy significantly contributes to reducing territorial inequalities, while expenditure decentralization has a positive but statistically more fragile effect. Territorial inequalities appear persistent, suggesting the existence of structural determinants related to the economic, fiscal, and institutional capacities of the regions. |
| Abstract: | La décentralisation financière et ses effets sur les inégalités territoriales constituent une question majeure de l'économie publique et du développement territorial. Cette étude analyse l'effet de la décentralisation financière sur les inégalités territoriales au Maroc sur la période 2014-2022. L'inégalité territoriale est mesurée par un indice de Gini territorial, tandis que la décentralisation financière est appréhendée à travers les indices de décentralisation par les recettes, interprétée comme un indicateur d'autonomie fiscale locale, et par les dépenses, reflétant le poids de l'exécution budgétaire locale dans les dépenses publiques. L'analyse repose sur un modèle en différences premières estimé par la méthode des moindres carrés ordinaires, avec correction des erreurs-types selon la méthode de Newey-West, afin de tenir compte d'éventuels problèmes d'autocorrélation et d'hétéroscédasticité des erreurs. Les résultats montrent que l'autonomie fiscale locale contribue significativement à réduire les inégalités territoriales, tandis que la décentralisation par les dépenses présente un effet positif, mais plus fragile sur le plan statistique. Les inégalités territoriales apparaissent persistantes, ce qui suggère l'existence de déterminants structurels liés aux capacités économiques, fiscales et institutionnelles des régions. |
| Keywords: | Financial decentralization, OLS, Local government expenditure, Fiscal autonomy, Territorial inequalities, MCO, Dépenses des collectivités territoriales, Autonomie fiscale, Inégalités territoriales, Décentralisation financière |
| Date: | 2026–07–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05704374 |
| By: | Giulia Buccione (CEMFI, Centro de Estudios Monetarios y Financieros) |
| Abstract: | This paper tests whether culture can drive policy. I study a religious messaging intervention promoting water conservation in Jordan, where rising scarcity makes behavioral change urgent. I randomly assigned women attending religious classes to receive messaging on the sanctity of water in Islam or on an unrelated religious topic. The design held constant leader identity and nonreligious information. After three months, treated women reduced objectively measured water consumption by 18%. Exploring mechanisms, the messages work by instilling religious beliefs about water, especially those firmly rooted in the religious canon. In contrast, I observe a backlash against new practices, such as treated water adoption. Treatment effects are strongest when religious leaders emphasize moral responsibility over ritual practice. My findings provide new evidence on both the power and limits of harnessing culture to strengthen policy effectiveness. |
| Keywords: | Culture, religion, water scarcity, Middle East. |
| JEL: | D91 Q25 Z12 Z18 |
| Date: | 2026–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cmf:wpaper:wp2026_2613 |
| By: | Schaller, Christian |
| Abstract: | Bereits vor Ausbruch des Iran-Kriegs bestand Streit darüber, ob die Straße von Hormus dem Regime der Transitdurchfahrt unterliegt oder ob dort - wie von Teheran vertreten - lediglich das Recht der friedlichen Durchfahrt gilt. Letzteres würde Iran weitergehende Eingriffsrechte gewähren. Unter keinem der beiden Regime darf die Durchfahrt jedoch von einer Genehmigung abhängig gemacht oder ausgesetzt werden; auch ist es Iran in keinem Fall gestattet, von ausländischen Schiffen Gebühren für die Passage zu erheben. Nach Maßgabe des Seekriegsrechts können militärische Handlungen in internationalen Meerengen zwar zulässig sein. Die faktische Sperrung der Straße von Hormus findet darin jedoch keine Grundlage. Auch aus dem Recht auf Selbstverteidigung lässt sich in diesem Fall keine Rechtfertigung für ein solches Vorgehen ableiten. Bei einem nachhaltigen Waffenstillstand soll eine multinationale Marinemission unter Beteiligung Deutschlands den Handelsschiffsverkehr in der Straße von Hormus schützen und dort Minenräumungen durchführen. Voraussetzung für einen solchen Einsatz ist eine tragfähige völkerrechtliche Grundlage. Im Übrigen wird es darauf ankommen, Versuchen Irans entgegenzutreten, die Durchfahrt durch die Straße von Hormus künftig einem Gebührensystem zu unterwerfen. Hierfür bedarf es einer breiten Staatenkoalition, die geschlossen für die Geltung und Durchsetzung des Seerechts eintritt und Teheran unmissverständlich verdeutlicht, dass einseitige Beschränkungen der Transitdurchfahrt keine internationale Anerkennung finden werden. |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:swpstu:344082 |
| By: | Hossain, Marup; Toguem, Robinson; Mabiso, Athur |
| Abstract: | The Murat River Watershed Rehabilitation Project (MRWRP), implemented from 2012 to 2021, aimed to reduce poverty in the upland communities of Elaziğ, Bingöl and Muş provinces in Türkiye by improving natural resource management and enhancing rural livelihoods. The project was structured around three core components: Community-based consultation and planning to strengthen participatory resource management and build public sector capacity. Investments in natural resources, including soil erosion control, afforestation and land rehabilitation. Development of small-scale, livelihood-focused infrastructure such as expanded irrigation, rehabilitated livestock barns, orchards, greenhouses and extension services for farmers. This impact assessment was conducted in 2023 using household and village surveys, covering data from July 2021 to June 2022. |
| Keywords: | Community/Rural/Urban Development |
| Date: | 2025–07–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:unadia:413190 |
| By: | Jalabi, Sultan |
| Abstract: | This discussion paper examines the development of Syria's electricity sector before and since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. It also assesses what this implies for the post-war reconstruction of the electricity sector. Drawing on field research conducted in Damascus and Qamishli between August and December 2025, and using a theoretical framework that prioritises environmental sustainability and social inclusion, this paper explores opportunities and challenges for pursuing a transformative reconstruction of the electricity sector that is environmentally sustainable (prioritising renewables) and socially inclusive (participatory and affordable). The paper finds that fragmentation is a key characteristic of the energy regime in post-war Syria, materialising in recent years in three isolated electricity systems: an off-grid, generator-based system in the north-east; a Turkey-linked, semi-private supply system in the north-west; and a national-grid system in the rest of the country. Further findings highlight that the transitional government prioritised the rapid restoration of centralised, fossil fuel-based power plants over renewable energy. It restructured electricity-related public institutions according to market rules and further privatised the electricity market to attract investors, raising electricity tariffs significantly, even as 90 per cent of Syrian households live in poverty. The paper concludes that the ongoing reconstruction pathway is a state-led, market-driven and socially insensitive model. International development cooperation can help local actors bridge this gap at the legal, administrative and technical levels. At the legal and administrative levels, international development cooperation can support local efforts to develop an inclusive electricity-governance framework. To date, electricity-related rules have changed rapidly under the transitional government's top-down approach, with little transparency or community participation. At the technical level, shifting from standalone, off-grid solar systems to connected hybrid and mini-grid systems requires a targeted programme. This is an area for collaboration between the transitional government and international development cooperation. Nevertheless, closing the information gap in the electricity sector is still a key challenge for policy planning. |
| Keywords: | Conflict, Transformative Reconstruction, Electricity, Climate Change, Sustainability, Institutional Reform |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:diedps:344084 |